garbanzo

/ɡɑɹˈbɑnzoʊ/

//ɡɑɹˈbɑnzoʊ// noun

"garbanzo" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“garbanzo” is uncommon English (frequency #99,300 among 18,276 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,300
frequency rank, English
18,276
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An edible pulse (Cicer arietinum), of the family Leguminosae or Fabaceae and subfamilies Faboideae or Papilionoideae, with white or purple-blue flowers and small feathery leaves on both sides of th...

Key facts for garbanzo
PropertyValue
Headwordgarbanzo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɑɹˈbɑnzoʊ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#99,300
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “garbanzo” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). garbanzo lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

garbanzo is uncommon English at frequency #99,300 among 18,276 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɡɑɹˈbɑnzoʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for garbanzo, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Spanish garbanzo, initially borrowed as garvance in the 17th c. and anglicized as calavance (“chickpea; any kind of bean or pulse”). The original garbanzo was re-established in the 19th c., primarily via American Spanish. The correct English form is garbanzo, spelled G-A-R-B-A-N-Z-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    An edible pulse (Cicer arietinum), of the family Leguminosae or Fabaceae and subfamilies Faboideae or Papilionoideae, with white or purple-blue flowers and small feathery leaves on both sides of the stem and pods containing two to three peas.
  2. 2
    A seed of this plant; the chickpea.

Etymology

From Spanish garbanzo, initially borrowed as garvance in the 17th c. and anglicized as calavance (“chickpea; any kind of bean or pulse”). The original garbanzo was re-established in the 19th c., primarily via American Spanish.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "garbanzo"?
"garbanzo" is spelled G-A-R-B-A-N-Z-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɑɹˈbɑnzoʊ/.
What does "garbanzo" mean?
As a noun, "garbanzo" means: An edible pulse (Cicer arietinum), of the family Leguminosae or Fabaceae and subfamilies Faboideae or Papilionoideae, with white or purple-blue flowers and small feathery leaves on both sides of th...
How do you pronounce "garbanzo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "garbanzo" is /ɡɑɹˈbɑnzoʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "garbanzo"?
From Spanish garbanzo, initially borrowed as garvance in the 17th c. and anglicized as calavance (“chickpea; any kind of bean or pulse”). The original garbanzo was re-established in the 19th c., primarily via American Spanish. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “garbanzo”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is G-A-R-B-A-N-Z-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɡɑɹˈbɑnzoʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list